Jim O'Donnell: Tom Brady visits Bears in prime time Thursday
CONSIDER THE POTENTIAL FOR INSTANT HISTORY at Soldier Field Thursday night:
For the first time since George Halas sat on a running board in that Hupmobile showroom in Canton, a visitor will bring a 43-year-old fellow who could conceivably upgrade the Bears at any slot down the vertical from chairman to general manager to head coach to starting quarterback.
That antique dealer is Tom Brady and most of Football America will be rooting for some sort of new autumnal memories on a COVID-cleared lakefront (Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, 7:20 p.m.; Fox-32, NFL Network, Amazon Prime Video, Twitch).
For those not paying close attention, Brady and Tampa are happening, dispelling any notion his foray to the Bay was merely a two-year, $50 million Ponce de León ego trip.
After a first-date opening loss at New Orleans, Brady and the revitalized Buccaneers have sliced through Carolina, Denver and the Los Angeles Chargers.
Last Sunday's 38-31 win over the Chargers was notable because:
• TB was down 24-7 early; and,
• Brady finished with five TD passes.
Subtext: The old man can still get it done. His offensive line is keeping him "clean." The complementary pirates of Coach Bruce Arians are on focused buy-in.
Brady and agent Don Yee - who also represents Jimmy Garoppolo - were meticulous in identifying Tampa Bay as an eminent recipient of what remains in the QB's formidable career vitae.
"You made a very good decision to call," Yee told Arians and Bucs GM Jason Licht after the divorce with New England last spring.
What Brady is bringing to Tampa is a laser-loaded lock-in on a weekly expectation of winning.
Contrast that will-do attitude with the reality of the Bears in an ominous Week 5:
Beyond the fog of local fanboy media, they are a staggered outfit with no running game, two B-options at quarterback and a defense now more properly termed "solid" rather than "stellar."
The line movement on this game has been intriguing.
Tampa was hung at -3, briefly dipped to 2½ for Sunday milkmen and then surged to -5½ Monday.
Wednesday, the Bucs were trending back to 3½.
Last Sunday, on CBS's "NFL Today," Phil Simms listed his top 5 current QBs - Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson, Aaron Rodgers, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson.
Great, fine.
But Thursday night in the hollow confines of Soldier Field, there will be no question who's positioned to make more instant history.
DICK DUCHOSSOIS CELEBRATED his 99th birthday Wednesday.
Since emerging as the principal force driving Arlington Park in 1983, he has steadfastly forbade underlings from any sort of ostentatious marking of the day.
No exceptions.
The mixed emotions of private businessman and public sportsman came up during a long lunch with an engaged insouciant in the directors room at Arlington Trackside a few years ago.
"You know," Duchossois told his tablemate, "There are a lot of times I think I liked it better when no one could pronounce my last name."
The chronicler respectfully chuckled and replied: "No you don't."
RLD's silent response was that charismatic smile.
STREET-BEATIN': LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Lakers may be headed to an NBA title but ABC audience numbers are disappointing. The victory of Jimmy Butler and the Heat in Game 3 Sunday night was the first Finals game ever on an NFL Sunday and the least-watched ever. ...
Also tanking are MLB playoff numbers. With many resigned to a Dodgers-Yankees World Series - or worse, an LAD-Houston Fall Classic - viewership is down roughly 30 percent from 2019. ...
Chicago's ESPN AM (1000) may be more limp than a French martini with grape juice instead of Chambord. But programming director Mike Thomas has no fewer than two columnists buzzing around his hive looking for gigs. (With proper promotion, one would impact; the other is a glorified feature writer trying to boost his flighty brand.) ...
Frank Calabrese's Big Dreaming tries a main course for the first time Thursday under Florent Geroux in a $73,000 allowance/optional claimer at Keeneland (TVG, post - 1:45 p.m.). The colt was an impressive second at 23-1 in the $750,000 Kentucky Downs Derby and is being targeted for one more major start in 2020. ...
And Teresa Hanafin - on Bill Belichick's sudden non-choice of Brian Hoyer or Jarrett Stidham in that 26-10 loss to Kansas City on CBS - quipped: "Monday's quarterback shuffle was an ugly reminder for the Patriots of how most of the NFL lives."
• Jim O'Donnell's Sports & Media column appears Thursday and Sunday. Reach him at jimodonnelldh@yahoo.com.